The Fossil Ridge and Poudre High School football teams are stuck in the pack in the Front Range League.

Fairview and Rocky Mountain are established as the favorites in the league, but it's wide open below with four teams holding 1-1 league records.

The SaberCats and Impalas will look to take a step forward at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25 when the play at French Field. Both squads are 2-2 overall and 1-1 in FRL play under first-year coaches Brian Tinker (Fossil Ridge) and Marty McVicker (Poudre).

To win, Fossil Ridge must: Start fast. The SaberCats have proven to be excellent at making halftime adjustments, outscoring opponents 47-23 in the final two quarters of games.

The problem for Fossil Ridge is it has only scored 21 points in the first half of games this year. A quick start will go a long way in earning another conference win.

To win, Poudre must: Create problems defensively. Poudre has been up-and-down on defense, allowing more than 40 points in its two losses. On the flip side, the Impalas shut out Northglenn and Monarch's only score came on a safety.

Through four games Poudre only has three tackles for losses. Austin Lee's three sacks are the only ones recorded by the Impalas. But Poudre has recovered six fumbles. Creating pressure will help Poudre secure a win in the crosstown game.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle.

Week-by-week look at what the most competitive and important games will be.

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Week 1

Fort Collins 40, Poudre 7

What we said: City rivalry with a twist. Poudre beat Fort Collins in a close game last year. Now the Impalas are the first team the Lambkins will face after their move to 4A. You can bet Fort Collins will be looking for respect and revenge.

What happened: Lambkins running back Mason Schroyer rumbled for 301 yards and two touchdowns, including a 49-yarder as Fort Collins won its first game in 4A.

Week 2

Windsor 24, Broomfield 7

What we said: The two 4A powerhouses met in the playoffs two years ago, with Windsor winning a brutally physical game. Broomfield enters the season ranked No. 6 and Windsor is No. 7. This game could have big playoff seeding implications later in the season.

What happened: Quarterback Tanner Bohm accounted for three touchdowns and the Wizards had four interceptions to win the playoff rematch and move to 2-0 on the season.

Week 3

Resurrection Christian 27, Platte Canyon 22

What we said: Resurrection Christian beat Platte Canyon 36-20 in the first round of the 1A playoffs a year ago and now the two are 1A Metro League rivals. RCS enters the year ranked No. 5 in 1A and Platte Canyon is No. 9.

What happened: Luke Mondt hit Conner Stahla for a 55-yard touchdown as time expired to give No. 5 Resurrection Christian (3-1, 1-0 Metro League) a league win over No. 7 Platte Canyon (2-1, 0-1 ML) after the Cougars saw a 21-0 lead turn into a 22-21 deficit with less than a minute remaining.

Week 4

Fort Collins 13, Longmont 7

What we said: Longmont is one of the top teams in 4A, entering the season ranked No. 4. This early-season matchup will give Fort Collins a chance to see how it matches up with one of the best teams in 4A.

What happened: Fort Collins, now ranked No. 5 in 4A, moved to 4-0 after forcing five turnovers. Kielar Harpham sealed the win with an interception in the final minute. Longmont (1-3) quarterback Clint Sigg was pressured all night and went 4-18.

Week 5

Fossil Ridge 21, Poudre 13

What we said: Battle of two new coaches. Brian Tinker comes from Oklahoma to try and turn around the Fossil Ridge program. Marty McVicker takes over for his old boss and tries to continue the progress made under Dan Reardon.

What happened: Poudre took a 10-0 lead into half, but Mitchell Salmela threw three touchdowns in the second half as the SaberCats roared back to move to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in Front Range League play.

Week 6

Fairview 44, Rocky Mountain 28

What we said: Can the Lobos win the Front Range League? This game will tell us a lot. Fairview lost in the 5A title game last year and enter the season ranked No. 9. Even though the Knights are new to the FRL, they're the favorites for the league title.

What happened: No. 10 Rocky Mountain (5-1, 3-1 FRL) turned the ball over five times and No. 4 Fairview (6-0, 4-0) quarterback Johnny Feauto threw for 390 yards and three touchdowns as the Knights took control of the Front Range League.

Week 7

Longmont 32, Windsor 31

What we said: A rivalry is quickly emerging between these two. Two years ago Windsor won in Longmont on homecoming. Longmont returned the favor in Windsor last year. Now the two are co-favorites for the Longs Peak Conference with Longmont ranked No. 4 in 4A and Windsor No. 7. Winner of this game likely takes the conference title.

What happened: Down 21 points in the third quarter, Longmont (5-4, 2-0 Longs Peak) came storming back to score a touchdown and convert the game-winning two-point conversion with 40 seconds left to beat Windsor (4-3, 0-2 LP) at home for the second year in a row.

Week 8

Rocky Mountain 28, Mountain Range 7

What we said: Fairview and Monarch may be new favorites as they enter the Front Range League, but Mountain Range is still the defending champ. The Mustangs won a 22-16 slugfest over the Lobos last year. This is another vital game if Rocky Mountain is to contend for the FRL crown.

What happened: What looked like a big game at the start of the season ended up being anti-climactic. Josh Rhead scored four touchdowns and had 123 yards as Mountain Range stayed winless on the season. The Lobos moved to 7-1 overall. Cade Hairgrove added 110 yards. The week's top game ended up being Fossil Ridge's narrow 42-40 loss to No. 4 Fairview.

Week 9

Rocky Mountain 31, Monarch 7

What we said: If Fairview is the favorite for the FRL crown, Monarch is probably right behind. The newcomers went to the 4A semifinals last year and won the 4A crown two years ago. Rocky Mountain will be looking to show that it's a bit tougher at the 5A level.

What happened: The Lobos ran wild to secure second-place in the Front Range League with an 8-1 overall record (6-1 FRL). The most important game of the week ended up being Fort Collins' 30-21 win over Broomfield to win the 4A Northern Conference.

Week 10

Fort Collins 59, Skyline 40

What we said: 5A playoffs begin this week, but 4A is still in the regular season. Therefore we have the sentimental matchup between conference foes and brothers. Fort Collins coach Eric Rice's brother, Kevin, coaches Skyline. The two aren't happy they ended up in the same conference, but it will make for an entertaining postgame handshake.

What happened: Senior Kyler Sigsbee accounted for six touchdowns, the highlight being a hook-and-ladder play that ended with senior offensive lineman Jake Lauber (pictured) scoring on a dive to the pylon. The Lambkins finished the regular season 10-0, their first unbeaten regular season since 2006.

5A first round

Rocky Mountain 7, ThunderRidge 3

What we said: After going 8-1 and finishing second in the Front Range League, the Lobos drew one of four No. 2 seeds in the 5A playoffs. In the first round they face No. 7 ThunderRidge, a team that made the 5A semifinals a year ago.

What happened: Rocky Mountain didn't score an offensive touchdown, but advanced to the second round after stopping ThunderRidge three times from the 3-yardline in the final 10 seconds.

5A first round

Bear Creek 42, Fossil Ridge 16

What we said: After a huge turnaround season that saw them go from 1-9 to 5-4, the SaberCats drew a No. 5 seed in the 5A playoffs and will face No. 4 Bear Creek in first round. The Bears finished third in the Jeffco League.

What happened: Bear Creek scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to end Fossil Ridge's season. The SaberCats ended 5-5 after making the playoffs for the first time since joining 5A.

4A first round

No. 2 Fort Collins 49, No. 15 Rampart 6

What we said: After a perfect regular season, Fort Collins earned the No. 2 seed and hosts No. 15 Rampart. The Rams (7-3) were second in the Pikes Peak Conference, behind defending champions Pine Creek.

What happened: An explosive running game powered the Lambkins (11-0) into the second round. Mason Schroyer ran for 190 yards, Kyler Sigsbee had 134 on the ground and Fort Collins had more than 400 rush yards. The Lambkins also held Rampart to barely 100 yards of total offense.

4A first round

No. 8 Windsor 42, No. 9 Vista Ridge 6

What we said: Riding a three-game winning streak and allowing just seven points in that time, Windsor is the No. 8 seed. The Wizards will host No. 9 Vista Ridge and an offense that scores nearly 36 points per game.

What happened: Quarterback Tanner Bohm threw three touchdown passes and the defense was dominant as the Wizards advanced to the quarterfinals for the third year in a row since moving up to 4A.

1A quarterfinals

No. 4 Res. Christian 22, No. 5 Centauri 15

What we said: Resurrection Christian (9-1) is back in the quarterfinals after a heartbreaking defeat in the same spot last year. The No. 4 Cougars host No. 5 Centauri (7-3) looking for the first semifinal berth in RCS football history.

What happened: The Cougars advanced to the semifinals for the first time in school history as quarterback Luke Mondt threw two touchdowns.

5A second round

No. 3 Fountain Fort Carson 21, No. 2 Rocky Mountain 7

What we said: After escaping the first-round with a 7-3 win over Grandview, No. 2 Rocky Mountain hosts No. 3 Fountain-Fort Carson. The Trojans are 8-2 and beat Westminster 35-6 in the first round.

What happened: After leading 7-0 on a Tyler Hyland to Jacoby Benger pass, the Lobos couldn't score in the second half the Fountain-Fort Carson score 21 points in the final 14 minutes to win.

4A quarterfinals

Pine Creek 24, Windsor 7

What we said: Windsor gets a chance at revenge. The Wizards lost 25-0 to Pine Creek in the quarterfinals last year as the Eagles went on to win the 4A title. No. 1 Pine Creek (11-0) has been even more dominant this year.

What happened: Just like last year, Pine Creek ends Windsor's season in the quarterfinals. Turnovers ended up costing the Wizards in the loss to the defending 4A champions. Windsor exited in the quarterfinals for their third year in a row since moving to 4A.

4A quarterfinals

Longmont 42, Fort Collins 35

What we said: Another game of revenge as Fort Collins (11-0) beat Longmont (8-3) 13-7 earlier this season. The Trojans turned the ball over five times, but the Lambkins had their worst rushing game of the season, gaining only 40 yards on the ground. Winner advances to the semifinals.

What happened: Longmont stunned Fort Collins, scoring more than any opponent this season. The Lambkins turned the ball over six times, dooming a comeback effort and ending the perfect season. Fort Collins finished 11-1.

1A semifinals

Paonia 35, Resurrection Christian 15

What we said: The Cougars (10-1) are in the semifinals for the first time in school history. To make the 1A title game they will have to stop a Paonia (11-0) team that has hardly been tested this season and is the defending 1A champion. The Eagles are averaging 42 points a game and allowing only 10.7. Paonia hasn't allowed a point in the playoffs.

What happened: Resurrection Christian started fast with an interception returned for a touchdown by Koda Murrow in the first quarter. But then Paonia took over behind the play of Taylor Walters and the Eagles advanced to the title game to try and defend their title.